Monday, August 31, 2009

Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG, 2007, Torre alle Tolfe

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We allowed this Chianti to age for more than one year in our cellar, since we wanted to wait for it to reach maturity and for it to become more refined. During this time, we tried it occasionally, but did not recommend it for sale, since to us it seemed to be still too young. However, this wine has now exceeded our expectations and has proven to be more than worth the wait. This organic Chianti, made from 80 % Sangiovese, 10 % Canaiolo and 10 % Colorino, is now demonstrating all the typical characteristics of a very, very good wine from Tuscany, a wine which is even surpassing its predecessors.

Its fragrance is characterized by ripe berries, cherries, vanilla, wood, spices and herbs, with mineral components; dense, dry, fresh, it expresses the typicity and spirit of the Sangiovese. As far as taste is concerned, this Chianti also has a lot to offer: The warm, succulent cherry, the powerful structure and the hearty, spicy bite make it ideal when paired with a juicy roast and a tasty sauce.

Serve it now at a temperature of between 15 to 17 degrees centigrade, or store it until 2012.

If we had not known Sergio Lo Jacono for many years before he ok over the management of Torre alle Tolfe, we would have thought it would be impossible to change the characteristics of the wines which they had been producing in such a short time.

As important as the "terroir" is for good wine, it is the work in the vineyard and in the cellar which have an even stronger impact on the wine. Apart from this, we would have been suspicious of all the awards received in just as short a period of time, since there is a lot of talk about "purchased wine evaluations," which in practice are difficult to trace.

However, what was written about the 2005 vintage in the journals DER FEINSCHMECKER and VINUM was confirmed by a panel of wine tasters during Italy's largest wine fair, VINITALY, which gave the 2007 vintage a "GRAN MENZIONE."

1st place in VINUM in a test comparing 180 Tuscan wines: the best Chianti with the highest evaluation.